Rivet feeding machine



Aug. 22, 1933. J, w, HUGHES 1,923,377

RIVET FEEDING MACHINE Mfr I JAZBS W ucv-nas BY o? Z ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 22, 1933 PATENT OFFICE RIVET FEEDING MACHINE James W. Hughes, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Budd Wheel Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a Corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 4, 1929. Serial No. 360,389

7 Claims.

The machine of this invention is for the purpose of performing the riveting operation commonly known as rivet feeding. This is an operation which takes place commonly between the riveting operation, known as piercing of the Work, and that known as heading of the rivets. The commonly known apparatuses of this type are not independent machines, performing independently the operations of piercing and feeding and heading of the rivets. The apparatus of the present invention is a machine of a separate entity. It has particular adaptation to separate location in connection with an automatic line for manufacturing wheels, in separate locations of which are performed the several riveting operations of different orders separately, for example, piercing at one location, rivet feeding at a second location, and rivet heading at a third location.

The prime object is to effect this adaptation. Another object is to perform rivet feeding operations for an entire wheel to be riveted simultaneously. Thereby much time is saved, and a wheel, the piercing operations of which are performed simultaneously, may thereby also have these rivet heading operations performed simultaneously.

In the accompanying drawings, I show that form of my invention now best known to me, but it Vis obviously susceptible of other forms. Of the drawings, l

Fig. 1 is an axial cross section of the principal elements of the machine showing the elements lying to one side of the axis.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view illustrating the mechanism for feeding rivets radially outwardly with respect to the rim.

A general survey of the drawings will show that in the attainment of my object I utilize a work support and a rivet feeding machine bodily reciprocable in entirety with respect to each other, and that the entire operations of feeding are effected through this relative reciprocation, and power for the feeding is derived through the relative reciprocatory movement. This enables me to effectively perform the rivet feeding operation v along the pathway of the conveyor of an autov matic line, since the machine is bodily removed l from the normal pathway of the work pastit.

Further, such general inspection will show that the simultaneous operations are effected through the utilization of an annular head having this annular reciprocation, a head provided with peripheral rivet supply ways, of va relatively axially movable work centering member, of a radially reciprocable series of rivet feeding members moved into and out of feeding engagement through relative movement of the head and the centering member, of a workmagazine carried by the head and feeding the Ways, and of supply devices for the ways operated through the axial reciprocation. p

In detail, is the. work support, 11 the work in form of a disc Wheel, the rim 12 of which is to be connected by rivets with the iiange 13 of the body disc 15. Those connected elements above the wheel 11 are the rivet feeding machine in entirety.

The support 10 is related in a definite way with automatic conveyor line (not shown but described in my co-pending application Serial No. 34,743, filed June 3, 1925 It may be constituted by the rails of the. conveyor there shown or by some more suitable table intervened between th-ose ways as are the tables of certainv of the machines shown therein. It is providedon its periphery with an upstanding ledge 16 which serves as a temporary work centering means.`

The axially reciprocable head of the rivet feeding machine is designated 17;. Its axis of symmetry and reciprocation is the axis 18 of the work 11. Its outer periphery 19 is of a diameter relatively less than the internal diameter of the work such that it is adapted in its reciprocation to enter and withdraw freely from the interior of the Work. On its periphery it carries an annular series of rivet supply ways 20 in the form of grooves undercut at the bottom to receive the heads of rivets as shownv and retain them thereby in the ways. The bottoms of these ways are closed by end walls 21. The tops 22 are outwardly inclined on a radius` about center 23 of rivet supply device 24.

The head is supplied with rivets from a general supply magazine 2 4 annularly surrounding the head and carried thereby through bolts 25. Rivet supply devices in the form of segments 26 are mounted in slots 27 in the magazine 24 for oscillation about centers 23. These segments have slotted upper edges 28 of a` dimension of slot to receive the shanks of rivets, and each slot is extended around the inner ends of the segments about center 23 Vand into direct communication with the ways 20 of the 'head 17. Relatively xedabutments 29 engaged by the lower ends of the supply device 26 effect vertical oscillation of these devices through reciprocatory movement of the head 17.

Mounted concentrically within the center of the head 17 and connected therewith 4through a lost motion connection is the centering head 30. On the under side of the centering head are carried centering pins 33 adapted to pass through bolt holes 34 in the disc and into sockets 35 in the table 10 and thereby accurately center the work 1l with respect to the supply ways 20 and the rivets being fed therethrough.

On the under side of head 17 are mounted for radial reciprocation, an annular series of operating members 36 in the form of individual radial rivet feeding punches. These are retained against axial dislodgment by dovetail tongue and groove connections 37, 38 appearing in dotted lines in the plan view of Fig. 2. They are radially reciprocable and yieldingly movable into work engagement through the wedge means 39 mounted in annular series in axially extending slots 40 appearing in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. l. The wedge means has a two-way positive dovetail connection 4l with the rear ends of the members 36 such that the axial reciprocation of the wedges positively radially reciprocates the members 36. They are yieldingly operable through the relative axial movement of head 17 and centering member 30 through the motivating springs 42 shown in detail in Fig. l as confined between members 17 and 18 on interconnecting bolts 43 having lost motion connection therewith. Thus the operating members 36 are yieldingly moved into engagement with the rivets constituting the work and through them with the wheel, the general object of the work. Through the abutting walls 44 of the centering member 30 they are unyieldyingly retained in work engagement. 35:Y

\ But while unyieldingly retained in work engagement by the abutting walls 44, the engaging portions of members 36 are yieldingly retained in engagement through the self-contained springs 45 withinv members 36 themselves. The work- 'fengaging portion of members 36 comprises plungers 46 radially reciprocable within the bodies 36 against the pressure of springs 45, which pressure is adjustable through the end screw 47. Plungers 46 project into the planes of 45'? symmetry of the respective rivet supply kways 20 radially of thev axis of the bottom-most rivet carried in the way. On this axis for an area of the head of the rivet, the retracting side walls of the way are cut away as shown in Figure 3,

50.".and the rivet is temporarily held in position by opposing side springs 44, whereby engagement of the plunger 46 with `the head of the rivet radially forces the confined head past the springs 44 and enters the projecting shank within the rpierced hole.

ber 30 is suspended from the head and spaced in full spaced relation therefrom, and therefore de- It reaches the work first as Vthe head 17 projects it vwithin thebody of the wheel. Its

pends.

center pins 33 enter bolt holes 34 and sockets 35,

fand jointly center the work upon the table v10 and with respect to the supply ways 20, and bottom the abutment member 30 against further downward movement. Downward relative movement of the head 17 ensuing, springs 42 thereby yieldingly project the annular series of operating members 36 and their work engaging punches 46 into engagement with the rivets constituting the work, projecting the rivets 20 engaged through the previously pierced holes in the flange and the rim, and accommodating the punches 46 yieldingly to the relative differences of dimension of the rivets themselves, or to slight obstructions incident to irregular surfaces at the margins of the pierced holes. This same movement engaging the rivet supply device 26 with the fixed abutment 29 moves it upwardly and feeds additional rivets into the supply ways 20.

At the close of these operations return reciprocation of head 17 takes place in a rising movement. Each supply device 26 is carried down by its own weight as it recedes from abutment 29 to receive, freshly, rivets in groove 28. Lost motion between members 17 and 30 is progressively restored. Member 30 again depends from member 17. Establishment of this dependency positively retracts the wedge means 39 through the bolt connections 43, and thereby through the positive two-way connection 41 the members 36 are positively withdrawn from the work including the engaging portions 46, but relative movement between member 18 and the wheel 11 and its support 10 takes place. Immediately on retraction in suflicient part, full dependency of member 18 is established with full lost motion, and further progression of member 17 raises the centering pins 35 from the work and carries members 30 with the entire remainder of the machine upwardly to the top of its stroke, where again the path of the work 11 for further progress by the conveyor is free.

Clearly it appears that all operations of feeding whatsoever are effected through the reciprocation of the machine in entirety relatively to the work support and the work itself. Clearly all the objects of my invention are attained.

What I claim is:

1. An internal rivet feeding machine comprising a work support having means thereon for positioning an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article'rpositioned by said means, means associated with said head for accurately locating and clamping the work on said support, a rivet feeding magazine positioned by the head and carried thereby, and means operable by the reciprocatory movement of said head for feeding rivets from said magazine to said head.

2. An internal rivet feeding machine comprising a work support having means thereon for positioning an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article positioned by said means, means associated with said head for accurately locating and clamping the work on said support, a rivet feeding magazine positioned by the head and carried thereby, and means operable by downward movement of the head to feed rivets axially into said annular article and radially outwardly into contact with the periphery thereof.

3. An internal rivet feeding machine comprising awork support adapted to support an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article positioned on said support, a plurality of annularly spaced rivet supply ways extending axially of said head in the periphery thereof, and means positively actuated in the reciprocatory movement of said head, for transferring rivets from said supply ways into contact with the periphery of an annular article positioned on said support.

4'. An internal rivet feeding machine comprising a work support adapted to support an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article positioned on said support, a plurality of annularly spaced rivet supply Ways extending axially of said head in the periphery thereof, and means positively actuated in the reciprocatory movement of said head, for simultaneously transferring rivets from said supply Ways into contact with the periphery of an annular article positioned on said support.

5, An internal rivet feeding machine comprising a work support adapted to position an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article positioned on said support, means associated with said head for accurately locating and clamping the work on said support, rivet supply means communicating With said rivet feeding head, a plurality of annularly spaced rivet supply ways extending axially of said head in the periphery thereof, and means for simultaneously feeding rivets into each of said annularly spaced supply Ways.

6. An internal rivet feeding machine comprising a Work support adapted to position an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article positioned on said support, rivet supply means communicating with said rivet feeding head, a plurality of annularly spaced rivet supply ways extending axially of said head in the periphery thereof, and a plurality of arms coacting with said rivet supply means to simultaneously feed rivets to said spaced rivet supply Ways upon the reciprocation of said head.

7. An internal rivet feeding machine comprising a work support adapted to position an annular article, a rivet feeding head reciprocable into and out of the interior of an annular article positioned on said support, rivet supply means communicating with said rivet feeding head, a plurality of annularly spaced rivet supply Ways ext4 tending axially of said head in the periphery thereof, a plurality of arms and means for actuating said arms to feed rivets to said supply ways upon the reciprocation of said head.

JAMES W. HUGHES. 

